The Canadian government has announced plans to ban two of China’s biggest telecom equipment makers from working on its 5G network.
The government cites security concerns for the ban. It says it is worried that the foreign suppliers could be “compelled to comply with extrajudicial directions from foreign governments in ways that would conflict with Canadian laws”.
The use of new 4G and 5G equipment from the companies will be prohibited while existing infrastructure will need to be removed by June 2024.
Several countries, including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand have already put restrictions on the firms.
Huawei Canada said it was “disappointed” by the decision, which it said was “political”.
“This is an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cyber security or any of the technologies in question,” a statement said.
